No One Mourns The Wicked
by Frenchie-chan
Summary: The untold story of Sosuke Aizen and Isshin Kurosaki. So much happened before Ichigo dropped in.
1. Prologue

**This is just a crazy idea I had around October of 2009, and I have been hard at work at it ever since. The idea was to explain Aizen's motives for becoming the evil overlord we know him as, ans to explain his past. In the very beginning, I had planned for Aizen to have a close relationship with Urahara, but later decided that Isshin was a better choice, since we know so little about his past. _NOTE: I came up with this fanfic LONG BEFORE Isshin joins the battle in FKT._**

**Please enjoy. ^^**

* * *

_Woe to those_

_Who spurn what goodness is_

_They are shown_

_No one mourns the wicked_

The sun was slowly beginning its descent over Seireitei. The over-energetic hype and vibe from the celebration that had ensued for the past day-and-a-half was just starting to dwindle; early stragglers who had overindulged themselves sake were making their way back to their barracks, laughing and talking in obnoxiously loud voices, walking in a dazed, disoriented manner, some being supported by their less-intoxicated friends. Nobody seemed to mind that half the souls in Seireitei had drank themselves silly, and having to escort a stoned friend home was the least of anyone's worries. Nobody seemed concerned with paperwork or training at the moment, on the contrary; the day was understood to be an unofficial holiday, and the normal rules of society had been temporarily suspended.

It seemed that every soul in Seireitei and Rukongai was celebrating on this impromptu holiday, and everyone was participating in some form of festivity, from the relaxed serving of tea at the Kuchiki Mansion to the rambunctious party hosted by the Eleventh Division; cries of celebration filled the air.

Just over twenty-four hours ago, the majority of the upper-ranking court guards, (along with some former members, whom a few of the senior officers seemed to recognize) had returned to Soul Society from the fake Karakura town, eager to spread the joyous news.

The war was won.

Sosuke Aizen was dead.

At first, lower-ranking court guards had been hesitant to believe it; maybe it was a ruse, an illusion to lull them into a false sense of security, perhaps? But all wary attitude was lost as Head Captain Yamamoto stood before the court guards and announced the proclamation that seemed too good to be true: Sosuke Aizen was dead at last, and his followers were all either dead as well, or imprisoned in the Senzaikyu Shishinro and awaiting execution via Sokyoku. At last, the tyrant had fallen, and reign of fear had finally come to an end.

A small group of shinigami was gathered in a small pub on the outskirts of _Juniran, _the first district of West Rukongai. The pub was small enough that it was devoid of folk weaving in and out of their drunken stupor, bursting into bawdy drinking songs; and was also tucked away on a street corner, away from prying eyes.

The small group consisted of six shinigami: Ichigo Kurosaki, Renji Abarai, Ikkaku Madarame, Yumichika Ayasegawa, and Isshin Kurosaki. The six of them were gathered around a circular table, bottles of sake in hand. (Except for Ichigo, who had refused to touch the stuff.) Ikkaku and Renji were immersed in discussion of the battle tactics that had won them the war, while Yumichika listened and added a comment here and there, all whilst sipping a small glass of sake. Isshin was balanced on the edge of the conversation, neither directing it nor excluded from it. Like Yumichika, he just added a comment or an opinion every now and then. Ichigo, behaving quite unlike himself, had hardly said a word since they had returned to Soul Society. Isshin suspected he had gone into severe shock at learning his father's true identity. While most of the shock had worn off, his son was still unusually quiet and skittish, jumping at the sound of his name. Isshin found this highly amusing, and enjoyed taunting him for it.

"Anyways, as I was sayin'-" Ikkaku stopped min-sentence, a wince taking over his features.

Renji frowned. "You alright?"

"Fine," he said gruffly, flexing his bandaged shoulder where he had been injured.

"Ikkaku," Yumichika said, a note of concern in his voice. "Maybe you should be resting… your wounds haven't healed yet, and that was quite a battle… and those bandages are so unbeautiful…"

Ikkaku laughed. "You kiddin' me? That battle was great! That was the most fun I've had in a long time!" He took another swig of sake. "But," He paused. "Yumichika's right. It was one hell of a battle, eh, Renji?"

He gave Renji a hard _thump_ between his shoulder blades, causing the redhead to choke violently on his mouthful of sake.

"I-I dunno, do I?" Renji coughed, spluttering. "I was a bit preoccupied in Hueco Mundo, if you've forgotten!"

"Ahh well, that's yer own fault, dumbass," Ikkaku said, tipping more sake into his mouth. "Oh well, its not like you would have been much help, anyway,"

Ikkaku continued to playfully belittle his former student, to which Renji's face grew more and more flushed, until it was impossible to tell where his forehead stopped and where his hairline began.

"…not like those ex-captains and Isshin here. We'd all be goners without them." He paused for a moment, the added, "Or slaves. Take your pick,"

Isshin, who had dropped his usual goofy façade for the day, looked up at the sound of his name. Ichigo too, gave a slight start at the mention of his father. Isshin smirked inwardly.

"Ehh, I dunno about that," Isshin said good-naturedly, reclining in his chair. "Bringing down Aizen was a group effort. I don't think any single person can be given all the credit,"

"Yeah, but _you_ delivered the killing blow, so technically,_ you're_ the reason we've won the war," Ikkaku reasoned, his words becoming slightly slurred from the sake.

"Indeed, Kurosaki-san," Yumichika added. "For all we know, we could all be enslaved by Aizen's Arrancar minions by now, if not for you," He tossed his hair over his shoulder. "What an ugly prospect…" He muttered. "Aizen deserved what he got,"

"Ha! Good riddance, I say!" Renji said loudly. "That bastard had it coming-"

"I don't know," Ichigo said suddenly.

A silence fell over the table. Everyone looked up from their chatting and sake to gawk at Ichigo. Yumichika looked purely abashed, his nose wrinkled in disbelief. Isshin raised his eyebrows and looked at his son through the corner of his eye, not turning his head.

"What the hell, Ichigo?" Renji broke the silence. "This is _Aizen_ we're talking about-"

"I know, I know!" Ichigo said defensively. "I just… I dunno if Aizen really was…I mean…I feel kinda sorry for him,"

Another awkward silence ensued, followed by Isshin voicing a single word:

"Why?"

"Well…" Ichigo shifted uncomfortably. "I just…I can't help but wonder… what kind of past that guy must have had. I mean- people aren't born evil, right? I wonder what happened to him that led him down the path of evil…"

Another awkward silence, this time broken by Yumichika, who said, "Now that's a deep philosophical question," He pondered, scratching his chin. "How _did_ Aizen turn into such a rotten egg?"

Ikkaku and Renji exchanged glances, the two clearly trying to discern the meaning of the word 'philosophical'.

"I don' think it makes any difference," Ikkaku said crudely. "All that matters is that the bastard is dead and gone,"

And with that the conversation returned to normal, as Yumichika attempted to explain the meaning of the word 'philosophical to Ikkaku and Renji. However, Ichigo's ponderings remained etched in Isshin's mind.

"_How did Aizen turn into such a rotten egg?"_

Isshin leaned forwards, putting his elbows on the table. Ikkaku and Renji's persistent arguing began to fade into nothingness. He laced his fingered over his mouth and closed his eyes, losing himself in his memories.

"_How_, indeed…"

* * *

**And so our story begins...**


	2. The Catalyst

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you are well loved! Now, without firther ado, let our story unfold...**

**A/N: For simplicity's sake, this fanfic will hereby disregard everything that happens after Bleach chapter 395. Thank you.**

**

* * *

****The Catalyst**

As a rule, the first day at a new school is usually an interesting (to say the least) event for most people. The strange mixture of fear and excitement that comes with moving to an unfamiliar location is a common feeling for the vast majority of people, and Sosuke Aizen was no exception.

Sosuke had never seen the Shinigami Academy before. Sure, he'd heard of it, from gossiping ladies and the occasional traveler or two, but he never imagined he'd get the chance to set foot on its campus, much less actually be _enrolled_ there. He could hardly believe his luck- if one could call it that.

The campus was much larger than he had imagined. Blissfully unaware of how stupid he must have looked, he gawked at the enormous Japanese style buildings through his square-rimmed spectacles, taking in the grassy courtyards and thousand of people milling about in their uniforms. It was a peculiar sight to Sosuke, who hadn't seen much outside of _Juniran_, where he had grown up. Hell, he'd never even seen so many people in one place before. Maintaining a tight grip on his battered, second-hand suitcase, he wandered about the campus, taking in its sights. Half of him felt happy and excited to be leaving Juniran behind, but the other half felt apprehensive and slightly nauseated at the thought of living in such an unfamiliar place.

As he roamed around the many buildings and courtyards, Sosuke took note of several details of the academy and its various inhabitants. Many of the students, new ones in particular, were staring his way, whispering amongst themselves, giving him a wide berth as he walked past. Sosuke was accustomed to such behavior, and didn't give it much thought. He had been born with an unnaturally high reiatsu, and people in _Juniran_ were often apprehensive around him. Mothers would escort their children away when he entered a room and shopkeepers wouldn't meet his gaze when he paid for his purchases. He had hoped things would be different at the academy, but… it seemed he was still the black sheep in the flock.

Sosuke shrugged it off. _'It's not a big deal,' _He assured himself. _'I can put up with it,' _

Sosuke noticed that many students was formed their own little circles- _'Cliques,'_ He thought. They were all discussing similar things- classes, grades, schedules, professors, and the like. Many of the older students were lending a hand to the incoming freshmen.

As he studied the older students, Sosuke noticed that most of them carried zanpakuto. He cocked his head to the side, wondering vaguely if the others didn't possess one, or just didn't like carrying it. Sosuke himself possessed a zanpakuto; the green-handled blade was currently slung across his back. He had a natural knack for swordsmanship, and practiced as often as possible when he was alone. He enjoyed training with his blade, but had yet to learn its name. He had often had dreams of a watery, misty landscape and a voice calling to him, but had always found himself incapable of responding to the voice's calls. The blade itself had materialized in his room after one such dream, upright and perfectly balanced on the tip of the blade. Sosuke was eager to unlock his blade's potential, as the idea of each shinigami possessing their own unique power appealed to him greatly.

Sosuke also noted that the blades differed from person to person. Some of them had long-bladed nodachi, others dagger-like wakizashi, but most (like Sosuke) possessed regular katana. He also took note of the differing colors of the handle wrappings, and different designs on the crossguard. Some people carried their blades at their waist, others on their back.

A sudden, piercing sound jerked Sosuke out of his thoughts. He looked around wildly for the source of the sound, covering his ears with his hands. Other students were doing the same, wincing and covering their ears.

_"Attention,"_

A cool, feminine voice cut through the crisp air. Everyone continued to stare wildly around, as the voice seemed to be coming from all directions at once.

_"May I have your attention, please,"_

Again, the voice seemed to come from all directions, resounding in everyone's ears.

"It's a kido!" Shrieked a young freshman girl, looking as if Christmas had come early.

And older student chuckled. "That's Akurei-sensei, the kido professor," He told her. "She's using Bakudo #77 to project her voice,"

_"All first year students will report to the Eastern courtyard immediately, I repeat-" _

Sosuke didn't hear the rest. All the students in the vicinity began to shuffle simultaneously, pulling Sosuke along with them. Feeling slightly claustrophobic, he made his way to the eastern courtyard, trying not to trip over his hakama and cause a domino affect. _'What a great way to make a first impression,' _he thought dryly.

As the mob of students made their way into the Eastern courtyard, they passed under an Asian-style archway, serving as the main entrance to the courtyard. As they entered, two older students handed each freshman a folded slip of paper from a basket. As one of them shoved a slip of paper into Sosuke's hand, he muttered systematically, "_Don't look at it until you are instructed to do so,"_

With that, Sosuke was pushed into the courtyard by the crowd. As he reached the center of the courtyard, the crowd thinned, allowing Sosuke free range of movement. Everyone seemed to drift off back into their little cliques, chatting away happily, and giving the whole place an air of nervous excitement.

Making certain nobody was looking in his direction, Sosuke unfolded the slip of paper he had been given and read it, hiding it behind his sleeve. It read: _**6, 17**_.

Sosuke frowned. _"That makes no sense,"_ he thought. Somewhat disappointed and wondering vaguely what the numbers meant, he shoved the paper into his pocket.

_"Attention please,"_

A voice, the same crisp, female voice he had heard earlier, sliced through the air; only this time it came from a definite spot some meters in front of him, instead of issuing from all directions.

The hubbub ceased suddenly, and everyone's head turned toward the direction of the voice. Sosuke craned his neck, trying to see over the heads of taller students standing in front of him.

A middle-aged woman stood on a slightly raised platform. She had silvery-blonde hair that hung in waves to her shoulders, and a slender physique that was somewhat hidden by an overlarge white coat she wore. She cast an icy blue gaze out over the congregation of students, silently commanding everyone's undivided attention.

Satisfied that she had everyone's eyes focused on her, she spoke again. _"My name is Matoko Akurei, kido professor," _Her voice was still magnified by the kido spell._ "It is my duty to see that all you new freshmen are properly assigned to a dormitory. As such, you will each share your living quarters with another student,"_

There was a brief moment in which whispers flitted about the courtyard. Sosuke cast his gaze over his shoulder. _"I have to share a room with someone…?" _He shifted uncomfortably.

_"Each of you was given a slip of paper upon your arrival. Please open it," _Akurei instructed.

There was a sudden rustling as everyone reached into their pockets and opened their slips of paper. Glancing around, Sosuke noticed that everyone had different numbers on their paper.

_"You will notice that there are two numbers on your paper. The first number corresponds to the dormitory building in which you will be residing. The second corresponds to the room number you have been assigned. There is one person here whose slip of paper is identical to your own. That person will be your roommate. Find them."_

The hubbub immediately resumed, as everyone clamored about, searching for the person whose slip of paper matched their own. Sosuke stood back, observing the crowd. How was he supposed to pick out one person form this crowd? There must be hundreds of people here!

Already feeling exasperated, he wandered around the crowd of people, looking over shoulders and reading slips of paper upside down. No luck. As he searched, he began to wonder what his future roommate might be like. _"I hope it's nobody obnoxious." _he thought. _"Or stupid." _

He continued searching, craning his neck to get a better view of some slips of paper. Occasionally, someone would shout, _"Who has 4, 23?"_ In hopes of saving themselves some time and effort. Needless to say, their efforts were fruitless.

Sosuke sighed as he watched some people who had already found their roommates take off in pairs. _"Maybe I'll just stand here until everyone else is gone,"_ he thought. _"And then the only person who will be left will be my roommate."_ He studied the faces of the people nearest him, vaguely wondering which one his roommate could be. He decided to ask the nearest people if they had the same number as him, (it was worth a shot) but before he could take a step-

_"MOVE, DORK!"_

Sosuke found himself flung aside as if he were a rag doll, and almost losing his balance. The force that crashed into him was enough to knock the wind out of him though, and he cursed under his breath. He felt pangs of provocation as he gazed around through narrowed eyes, looking for the one responsible for said onslaught.

The perpetrator of the ill-conceived 'attack' was a fellow student, a young man with black hair that stood on end and high cheekbones. He wore the typical blue-and-white men's uniform, with a zanpakuto slung across his back. He had a five o' clock shadow and a wide, cheeky grin. He was about the same height as Sosuke, maybe a little taller, but had an air of arrogance about him that Sosuke found revolting.

The young man ran straight up to a cute, black-haired girl with pigtails and tickled her from behind, childishly taunting, _"Machiko-chaaaan! I got you!" _The girl, Machiko, squealed and slapped him playfully, but for all the good it did, she might as well have done nothing. _"Ku- Kurosaki!" _She wailed, laughing. _"Stop it!" _

The man stopped tickling her for a moment and asked, "Kurosaki? Since when do you call me by my last name?"

Machiko opened her mouth to reply, but before she could say a word Kurosaki promptly slapped her across the ass.

Sosuke felt his left eye twitch involuntarily. He turned away from the couple, disgusted._ "What an idiot!" _He thought angrily, secretly suppressing an urge to vomit and straightening his askew spectacles.

He glanced over his shoulder at the couple again, peering through his glasses. 'Kurosaki', as Sosuke guessed he was called, was still draped over the girl like a wet towel, their arms so entwined it was difficult to tell whose hands belonged to whom.

He gazed at them with such scorn that Sosuke failed to notice that Kurosaki was staring right back at him.

"What are you lookin' at, four-eyes?"

Sosuke froze, his mouth slightly agape. _Did that guy just call him-?_

"Four-eyes! Ha!" Machiko laughed shrilly and repeated Kurosaki's taunt.

Sosuke felt as if a fuse had been lit inside him. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, a vain attempt to control the fury that was welling up. He was used to taunts, from his father and unkind residents of _Juniran_, but this was different. This… _imbecile!_ Was provoking him with no reason at all! The very thought was enough to make his blood boil.

A white aura of Sosuke's reiatsu surrounded him, a violent wind swirling around him. A torrent of his fury began to slip out of control and spin more and more violently. This sudden, wild storm of reiatsu made most everyone in the courtyard turn their heads and stare.

Sosuke could hear the shrieking of girls over the roar of the raging energy, and distinctly heard Kurosaki holler, "Calm down, man! I didn't mean it!" Under the immense pressure of Sosuke's reiatsu, several windows in the adjacent buildings shattered.

_"Damn!"_ Sosuke thought, desperately seeking for a way to control his unruly reiatsu, but having no success. _"Not this again!"_ He tried to stop the surge of energy, but it was like a dam had burst inside him, and he was trying to hold the water back with his hands.

There was a sudden _BANG,_ like the sound of a shotgun going off. The torrent of Sosuke's uncontrollable reiatsu dissolved, leaving him standing slumped over in the middle of the courtyard, sweat pouring down his brow. His heavy breathing was the only sound in the courtyard. As he looked up he saw Matoko Akurei, the professor from before, standing several meters from him with her arms held aloft before her.

Matoko Akurei began to walk slowly towards Sosuke, an unreadable expression on her face. As she did so, nervous whispers began to flit about the courtyard.

_"How did he do that?_

_"Are you kidding? What did SHE do?"_

_"His reiatsu just exploded!" _

_"Did she use a kido or something to stop it?"_

_"What IS he?"_

Sosuke stood with his shoulders hunched and head down, painfully aware of the stares and comments he was attracting. He wiped the sweat from his brow with a shaking hand, refusing to meet anyone's gaze. _"Not again!"_ He mentally kicked himself, cursing his insane amount of reiatsu.

"Young man."

Sosuke raised his gaze slightly, focusing on the unreadable face of professor from earlier. Her voice was stern and cold, like steely flint. He mentally cursed again. Were they going to kick him out on his first day?

"Would you care to explain what just happened?"

Sosuke swallowed; his mouth uncharacteristically dry. "I-I just-" His tongue seemed to flop around uselessly in his mouth as he tried to form words. "Something just comes over me sometimes, and I… If I get angry or upset I just… I can't really explain it. But I will try to control it, um… I'm sorry, really, I-"

_"What?"_ Matoko Akurei asked bluntly, instantly silencing Sosuke. She wagged her finger at him like she would a naughty child. "You must never apologize for talent, young man!"

Sosuke blinked in surprise, his face assuming a perfectly blank expression. _Talent…?_

Akurei smiled suddenly, her expression softened somewhat. Sosuke noticed that she was almost a foot shorter than him, and had no air of physical strength about her. Despite think, Sosuke had a sneaking suspicion that she was more powerful than she let on.

"Forgive me," she said, her icy blue eyes glinting. "I am Matoko Akurei, kido professor. You may address me as _Akurei-sensei_, or _ma'am_."

Sosuke nodded dumbly, not having the slightest inkling of where this conversation was going or why it was taking place. He was so taken aback that he momentarily forgot that they were being watched by the entire freshman class.

"And what do you call yourself, young man?"

"A-Aizen." He stuttered, feeling more foolish by the second. "Sosuke Aizen."

"Aizen…_Aizen_…" She muttered to herself. "I don't recognize that surname. Am I correct in assuming that you don't come from a line of shinigami, or nobility?"

Sosuke shook his head.

"No matter, no matter!" She said cheerfully, sounding absolutely delighted. "My dear boy-" She stopped suddenly, having just become aware of the hundreds of people listening in on their conversation.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" She barked sharply. "Get to your dorms!"

There was an immediate sound of muttering and the shuffling of hundreds of feet as everyone filed out of the courtyard, leaving Sosuke and Akurei quite alone.

As the last of the students cleared away, Akurei turned back to Sosuke, beaming."My dear, my dear…" she said. "In all my years of teaching, I don't believe I've ever seen a student with such raw potential as you've just demonstrated! And when we consider that you are a first-year with no shinigami background…" She trailed off, shaking her head.

She placed her hand on his shoulder, fixing him with her icy gaze. "I expect great things for you, dear. Great things."

Sosuke felt a mite uncomfortable at the sudden praise. A moment ago he was afraid of being kicked out, now _this?_ Maybe he was dreaming.

"I don't mean to pry, but…" Akurei eyed the hilt of the zanpakuto that was strapped across Sosuke's back. "That is your zanpakuto, yes? Do you know it's name yet?"

"Ah, no." Sosuke said; glad to finally have something of interest to say. "I mean, I can hear a voice sometimes, but that's it. I can't even make out what its saying." He shrugged.

Akurei seemed, if possible, more delighted. She grinned and said, "Do not be discouraged, dear boy! Most people don't make contact with the zanpakuto until after they've graduated, so you need not be disheartened."

Sosuke felt slightly inclined to argue that he hadn't _really_ made contact with the zanpakuto, just heard it speak. But he reasoned that that wouldn't be a good thing to say, and kept his mouth shut.

Akurei continued to prattle. "I daresay your biggest hurdle will be learning to control your powers, but I will privately tutor you to help you with that. I imagine you will be quite the formable foe once you've learned to control that reiatsu of yours!" She gave a forced kind of laugh.

"In fact, I would not be surprised if you were to become a high-ranking officer one day! Who knows, maybe one day your powers will attract the attention of the Shinigami King-"

She stopped suddenly, as if she had let slip something she ought naught have said. Sosuke narrowed his eyes, curious.

"Shinigami King?" He echoed. "What do you mean? I thought Central 46 was the highest judiciary power in Soul Society-"

"Shh!" Akurei held a finger to her lips, causing Sosuke to fall silent. She glanced over her shoulder, despite that fact that the courtyard was quite deserted.

"That is what most people believe, isn't it?" She said mysteriously, her voice lowered so that Sosuke had to lean in to hear her correctly. "I probably shouldn't tell you this…" She paused, and then said loftily, "Ah, you probably would have found out anyway. You see, Central 46 is under the direct jurisdiction of the Soul Society's Royal Family.

"Royal Fam-?"

"The Royal Family is the ultimate power in Soul Society, even Central 46 answers to them. And at their head is the Shinigami King."

Sosuke's mind whirred frantically at this tidbit of information. "There's… a King?"

"Yes." Akurei said, nodding. "No shinigami has ever seen him, nor does anyone know exactly what he does, with the possible exception of the Head Captain. But maybe, with _your_ abilities-" She stopped suddenly. "Well, that's a long time from now, my boy. You'll have to hone your skills if you want to even _think_ about working for the Shinigami King!"

Sosuke wasn't quite sure what to think of this. "Me?" He asked, pointing to himself. "A subordinate of this… Shinigami King?"

"I'll admit it's… unlikely." Akurei said thoughtfully. "But not impossible. But I don't want to fill your head with far-fetched fantasies! Nobody ever got anywhere without hard work." She pulled a silver watch on a chain out of her pocket and glanced at it. "My, look at the time! Enough chit-chat, it's been a long day for you, I'm sure. Off to the dormitory with you now!"

She fixed him with a smile and said warmly, "Mark my words, Sosuke Aizen. You'll be someone great someday."

With these parting words, she shunpoed away with a slight _whoosh, _leavingSosuke standing in her wake. He wasn't quite certain what to make of her, or of himself for that matter. Everything she had just told him, everything that had happened today… it seemed like more information that one person could consume in a day.

_Royal Family_… _Shinigami King_… It was all a huge blow, an enormous amount of information that Sosuke wasn't sure what to do with. And she thought he, _he_ of all people, had what it took to be affiliated with someone like that? He shook his head, _"Surely she overestimates my abilities."_He thought reasonably. _"I am just a new student after all."_

Sosuke glanced at the all-but-forgotten slip of paper in his hand. It occurred vaguely to him that he still didn't know who his roommate was, but it seemed to be a matter of little importance right now. He was too preoccupied with all that Akurei had just told him.

Although he was slightly skeptical of his ability to impress any such royalty, he was rather pleased that he had made a good impression on one of his professors. At least Akurei-sensei thought he was worth something, which was more than he could say for the residents of _Juniran. _

Feeling rather proud of himself, he made his way through the campus, hardly seeing where he was going, or noticing the whispers from some students mingling around the campus.

"_Is that the kid we heard about?"_

"_The one with the crazy reiatsu?"_

"_He seems pretty normal now…"_

Sosuke was blissfully unaware of the attention he was attracting, his head filled with thoughts of Royalty. _"Akurei-sensei said she would tutor me herself," _he thought as he found the dorm building he had been assigned. As he entered the building, he glanced down at the slip of paper with the numbers on it. Room 17, it said.

"_Room 17."_ He thought absently. _"That's on the first floor."_

He almost immediately located the room with a '17' on the front. Still pondering the possibilities that lay before him, or as Akurei-sensei said, he slid open the door, entering the dorm room. But before he could so much a cast his gaze over the room-

"Hey, roomie."

Sosuke immediately dropped the slip of paper in his hands, feeling as if someone had dropped a large weight in his stomach.

Reclining easily on a chair was the young man from before, the one who had nearly molested that girl! Sosuke's mind, which had been whirring frantically mere moments before, went perfectly blank. No way… there was no way! He wouldn't survive a day in the same room as this guy!

There was no doubt about it, it was the same guy. The cheeky grin, the messy hair, the air of arrogance about him…

The young man stood up, and swaggered toward Sosuke, who had a good mind to request a room switch.

"Kurosaki." The young man introduced himself. "Isshin Kurosaki." Without warning, he slapped Sosuke on the shoulder- hard, making his knees buckle. "So, word on the campus says you're some kinda crazy mad genius or somethin'. He grinned cheekily and ruffled Sosuke's hair. Sosuke suppressed a sudden urge to strangle him. "But by the look of you," Isshin continued, "I'd say one good kido spell would finish you off."

Forget a day. Sosuke doubted he would last five minutes.

* * *

**Please review and give me some feedback! It's greatly appreciated!**


	3. Kyouka Suigetsu

**Contrary to popular belief, I am not dead. I have every intention of finishing this story, but I'm just an incredibly slow writer. I have college to blame for that.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed and subcribed. You are loved!**

**Now, without any further ado, I give you... Chapter Three!**

* * *

The next two weeks did not bode well for Sosuke. He could tolerate foolishness to a certain degree, but every day he spent sharing living quarters with Isshin, the more he was reminded that before he could worry about the Shinigami King, he'd have to deal with his insane roomie first.

If Sosuke had thought that life among the peculiar residents of Rukongai was tiresome, he was sorely mistaken. Nothing the experienced there would possibly have prepared him for Isshin. After their less-than-warm first impression of the other, Isshin continued to get on every last nerve Sosuke had. Bluntly put, everything about Isshin rubbed him the wrong way. From his loud, annoying voice, his overly energetic personality, to the fact that he had a different girlfriend every week, he was beginning to become Sosuke's worst nightmare.

The day after the orientation ceremony, on the first day of classes, Isshin deemed it necessary to give Sosuke the wake-up call of his life. With a reverberating cry of, "GOOOOOD MORNING, SOSUKE!" that echoed for miles around, Isshin leaped upon Sosuke, fixed his arms behind his back, and pinned him to the floor.

"WHAT THE H-" Sosuke started to retort, but found his face being squashed into the ground.

"You let your guard down!" Isshin crowed triumphantly, laughing in his obnoxious voice.

"I was sleeping!" Sosuke's voice was muffled.

Isshin tried this attack nearly every morning, but Sosuke wasn't one to fall for the same trick twice. He soon found that the best was to subdue his roomie was to give him a solid kick to the face. After several black eyes and a chipped tooth, Isshin deemed that maintaining his looks were more important than taking every opportunity to irritate Sosuke.

Despite his idiotic personality, Isshin always seemed to have a different girlfriend every week. How the female creature could possibly find such an imprudent person attractive was beyond Sosuke. On more than one occasion, when Sosuke turned into the dorm late due to a late class, he found Isshin and some random girl hooking up in the room. On the first of such occasions, Sosuke had stood in the doorway, openmouthed and frozen on the spot. His textbooks slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground. Without a word, Sosuke turned his back and slammed the door, blushing furiously.

Trying his hardest not to think about what he had just seen, Sosuke numbly picked up his fallen textbooks. After several uncomfortable minutes, the girl emerged from the dorm room; this time fully clothed, threw him a haughty look, and sauntered away.

When he re-entered the dorm room, Sosuke found Isshin reclined against the wall, wearing a smug expression and looking most pleased with himself.

"Sorry 'bout that," He said, his annoying little smile never leaving his face. Sosuke couldn't even bring himself to look at him. But whether this was from his utter disgust or an attempt to hide his reddened face, Sosuke had no desire to find out.

"Right," He replied, failing to keep a sarcastic tone out of his voice. He dropped his various textbooks on his desk and sat down, determined not to face his womanizing roomie for the rest of the evening.

After several minutes of uncomfortable silence, during which Sosuke tried his hardest to focus on nothing but the history text before him, Isshin broke the thick atmosphere.

"What are you doing?"

"Studying," Sosuke replied, keeping his answers as clipped and short as possible.

"Studying! Again?" Isshin made an exasperated sound and shook his head. "You're always studying, always got your head stuck in those books. What do you do for fun, Sosuke-kun?"

Sosuke started a curt reply, but stopped abruptly. _'Did he just call me…?'_

Feeling a sudden ripple of anger, Sosuke turned around in his chair and fixed his roommate with his best death glare. "Since when is it acceptable for you to call me by my first name?" He demanded. "You and I are not on a first-name basis, _Kurosaki. _You would do well to remember that._"_

Sosuke quickly turned back around gave the history text his complete attention. He knew if he continued like this, his reiatsu might go out of his control again, like it did on the first day. Sosuke grimaced at the memory. He was still the subject of many rumors due to that incident…

"You didn't answer my question," Isshin's voice interrupted Sosuke's thoughts. "What do you do for fun, _Sosuke-kun?"_

Sosuke clenched his fists to avoid using them to hurl something at Isshin. In a rather strangled voice, he replied, "Read, I guess…"

"Ah, Sosuke-kun!" Isshin said dramatically, making flamboyant gestures in the air. "What a boring little fart you are!"

Sosuke wasn't entirely sure what to make of this. He'd been the subject of ridicule before, but never in living memory had he been compared to flatulence. Quickly determining that the best way to deal with this was to simply ignore it, he turned back around to face his textbook, making a mental note to request a room switch as soon as the new semester started.

'_Just seven more weeks,_' he reassured himself, as if see bright light at the end of a tunnel.

"Sosuke-kun," Isshin said suddenly, breaking the stiff silence to what seemed the umpteenth time.

"_What?" _Sosuke snarled, making no attempt to hide his annoyance.

"Are you a virgin?"

Sosuke promptly choked on his own saliva. He fell into a coughing fit, coughing and spluttering, on hand clinging to the desk for support.

"_WHAT!"_ He shouted incredulously, feeling his face flush. _"Where do you get off asking things like that?"_ He sincerely hoped Isshin didn't notice the heated redness in his face.

Isshin laughed heartily, as if he had just heard a particularly amusing joke. "I'll take that as a 'Hell yeah'." He said cheerily, thumping Sosuke on the back. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Sosuke didn't like the gleeful smile Isshin was wearing. Not at all.

Isshin always insisted on calling him 'Sosuke-kun', despite his numerous objections. Sosuke referred to him as 'Kurosaki', and assumed his roommate would in turn call him 'Aizen'. Sosuke concluded that he only did this because it irritated him, and nothing pleased Isshin more than to annoy his roomie. Well, except for maybe a cute girl.

However, there was one thing about Isshin that Sosuke hated the most. It wasn't the fact that he went out of his way to get on his nerves, or said the most blatantly inappropriate things, or had a different girlfriend every week. Sosuke was consistently top of the class; he had the highest test scores, the best kido, and certainly the strongest reiatsu. Professors commended his work, and he spent a good deal of his time locked away in the library, studying. He was perfectly confident in his abilities, until the class rankings were posted.

"Hey, check out the rank list!"

"It's out already?"

"That Aizen kid got the top spot, again, no surprises there."

"He's not the only one. Look, he tied with Kurosaki."

"Kurosaki? Not the douche who stole my girlfriend!"

"Yup, that's the one."

Sosuke, who had been casually strolling to class just moments before, froze in his tracks. Had he heard them correctly? Isshin was… no, it couldn't possibly be true. Isshin was the poster boy for morons everywhere…

His curiosity getting the better of him, Sosuke weaved his way thought the throng of students surrounding the list posted to the wall. When he got close enough to make out the words, he read through the list very carefully.

**Class Rankings**

**1. Sosuke Aizen/ Isshin Kurosaki**

**2. Daisuke Nakamura**

**3. Rina Harada**

**4. Tetsuya Sendo**

**5. Masaki Sayuri**

**6. Sho Hayami**

**7. Hikaru Tanaka**

**8. Yoshika Ichihara**

**9. Takashi Fujiwara**

**10. Miki Sato**

Sosuke carefully reread the list several times. Maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him…? He took off his thick glasses and checked the lenses for dirt. Nothing. He put them back on his face with a bit more force than was necessary. Scrutinizing the list once again, he furrowed his brow. There had to be some kind of mistake. Isshin couldn't possibly be on the same level as him, he was little more than a delinquent! There must be some kind of error… yes, that was it. Whoever made up this list made a simple mistake, that was all…

"Well, well, wouldja look at that?"

Sosuke turned around to find Isshin- _"You're the last person I want to see!" _he thought angrily- standing mere inches behind him. Isshin casually rested his forearm on Sosuke's shoulder, standing entirely too close for comfort. Sosuke quickly took a step away to put distance between them.

"Tch," Isshin smirked, gazing at the list. "If you're not careful, you'll get your ass kicked, Sosuke-kun," He mused casually, as if he were talking about the weather.

Sosuke, determined not to give Isshin the satisfaction of knowing he was infuriating him, simply narrowed his eyes and walked off. He absentmindedly made his way to his next class, pondering this new development. Had Isshin been playing dumb this whole time? He certainly didn't seem like the scholarly type… Was he purposefully trying to make people think he was an idiot? _'That could be a useful tactic, making your opponent underestimate you…' _Sosuke thought, scratching his chin.

'But, when does he study?' Another thought sprung into his head. Now that he thought about it, Sosuke had never actually seen Isshin study before. Chasing after girls in his free time, that seemed more like Isshin.

But it wasn't Isshin's questionable pastimes that was bothering Sosuke at the moments. No, a single prospect plagued him. _How could someone so foolish be just as talented, if not more so, than him? _Sosuke rather took pride in the fact that he showed far more promise than his classmates, and if the likes of Isshin could easily measure up to his standards… Sosuke frowned. It was insulting, that's what it was.

Sosuke numbly made his way to his next class, hardly noticing where his feet were leading him.

* * *

Isshin Kurosaki was snoring. The sound had kept Sosuke awake for the past hour and a half. He rolled over in his bed and placed his pillow over his head, as if it would magically block out the sound. It didn't. As if Isshin didn't antagonize him enough during daylight hours, he had to do it while Sosuke was sleeping, too.

Sosuke sat up and glared blearily at the large, snoring lump across the room. He would have felt particularly venomous for the afternoon's events, had he not been so tired. Seeing as he was clearly not about to get sufficient sleep, Sosuke fumbled around on his nightstand for his glasses. After placing them on his face, he stood up, yawned, and ran a hand through his tousled hair.

Trying to blink away the sleep in his eyes, he eyed one of the many stacks of books on his nightstand. He had nothing better to do; he might as well bury himself in one of his many scholarly volumes.

"_Sosuke."_

Sosuke jumped, the sound of his name surprising him. His heart beating somewhat faster than usual, he rounded on Isshin.

"What?"

Sosuke blinked. Isshin hadn't moved. He was still fast asleep, and snoring. Not one to fall for one of his roommate's many pranks; Sosuke prodded him with a finger.

"_Sosuke."_

There it was, again, only this time louder. However, Sosuke clearly saw this time that Isshin hadn't moved, or spoken. It was almost as if-

"_He cannot hear me." _For the first time, Sosuke noticed that the voice was cool and feminine, and had a somewhat musical ring to it.

Beginning to feel slightly afraid, Sosuke looked wildly around the room, even though it was quite empty aside from the two students who occupied it.

"Who's there?" He demanded.

"_He cannot hear me."_ The voice repeated. _"Only you can, Sosuke." _

Sudden understanding dawned on Sosuke. He turned around and fixed his gaze on his zanpakuto, propped against the wall. A foreboding kind of excitement exploded in the pit of his stomach. Instinctively, almost unconsciously, he reached out to grasp the sword's hilt. It was as if he were being pulled towards it by some force he couldn't explain.

The moment his hand made contact with the hilt, Sosuke felt as if he were being sucked into a kind of whirlpool, and being squeezed tightly through a pipe. It only lasted for the briefest of moments though, and his feet were roughly met with solid ground.

He staggered, feeling slightly dazed. He put his hands to either side of his face in order to stop the spinning, and to straighten his askew glasses. He slid the spectacles back up his nose, and took in his surroundings.

Sosuke recognized the eerily familiar landscape instantly. He was standing in the middle of a vast lake. The waters extended for as far as he could see, as no shore was in sight. It was a peculiar feeling; he looked at his feet and clearly saw that he was standing- _standing _on the lake's surface, yet the ground felt completely solid. He lifted his foot, and the water spread in ripples. Over the lake's surface, a slightly green mist hovered, giving it an eerie atmosphere.

Overhead, an inky night sky stretched on endlessly, the stars providing the only source of light in the entire landscape. And, Sosuke noticed, although there was no moon in the sky, there was clearly a large full moon reflected in the water. Sosuke furrowed his brow. How very… odd.

He had never seen it so clearly before, but there was no mistaking it- he was in the watery place he had often dreamed of. Where he had heard that voice calling for him… _"It couldn't be…" _He thought, _"My inner world?"_

"_Precisely. You catch on quickly."_

Sosuke whirled on the spot, water rippling under him from the sudden movement. The voice had sounded from right behind him. As if it were inches from his ear… but there was nothing, nothing there. He looked wildly around, but he was the solitary figure in the watery world.

"Who's there?" He demanded. "Hey!"

"_I'm here."_ There it was again, breathed silkily into his ear.

He whipped around. Although the voice had sounded like it was mere inches away, a humanoid form stood a good twenty feet away, the hazy mist blurring its figure. It was walking slowly, almost leisurely, towards Sosuke.

"_Well, well. It's about time you heard my voice."_ As it walked closer, its features became more and more pronounced. It became quite clear that the spirit was a woman, as if the silky voice wasn't sufficient enough evidence. She was tall—taller than Sosuke by several inches. She was clad in an elaborate green kimono- precisely the same hue as the hilt of his blade. Her skin was pale- a deathly pallor, and her hair was black and upswept loosely, with a white lobelia tucked into the strands. Her face was lovely, despite its less-than-rosy complexion. Her eyes were an icy blue and her lips were constantly set in a smirk that seemed to imply that she knew more than she let on.

"W-who're you?" Sosuke demanded, although he already knew the answer. She smiled, but there was no warmth in her expression. Sosuke noticed that while she appeared perfectly solid before him, she cast no reflection on the lake.

"_You're a feisty one."_ She commented, her eyes glinting. _"That's good. You may prove to be very… useful to me, Sosuke." _She advanced on him, her smirk and flinty eyes unchanging.

Wait, was she… _taunting_ him? Useful to her? What did that mean? Sosuke had little time to ponder her words, for as the spirit began her slow advance, he reached instinctively for his blade.

Sosuke didn't feel the pangs of panic until his fist closed around thin air.

_What?_ Sosuke glanced over his shoulder. His blade's scabbard was still slung across his back, but was undeniably empty.

_My katana…!_

"_Looking for this?"_

When Sosuke whipped back around, he saw the woman gripping a green handled blade- _his blade! _

Sosuke found himself at a loss for words. She hadn't left his line of sight the entire time, so how could she have taken his sword without him noticing? "Wha- How did you…?" He stuttered, trying to organize his thoughts. "_Give that back this instant!" _He shouted.

At this, the woman chuckled softly, casually twirling the blade between her fingers. _"What?"_ She asked, smiling coldly. _"I've had it here the entire time. I just didn't allow you to see it until just now." _

Sosuke frowned. He was becoming more and more befuddled by the minute. He couldn't make heads or tails of what she was saying, and hadn't the slightest inkling how she had managed to steal his zanpakuto without him noticing.

"What do you mean?" He asked, trying to keep his voice even, and hoping she would give him a clear answer.

"_Simple."_ She said, still twirling the blade. _"I just tricked you into thinking you were carrying the blade. Tell me, are you under the impression that this sword is your property_?" She held the blade aloft.

"_This sword belongs to you no more than another soul belongs to you."_ She said. _"You must understand that zanpakuto are not just ordinary swords. We're living beings with intellect and emotions. In fact, we're not much different than you_." She stopped twirling the blade, and sharply pointed its tip at Sosuke.

"_A shinigami and zanpakuto are partners. It's an ancient principle. You see, Sosuke, I am this blade, and this blade is me. We are one and the same. Meaning that you and I are now two parts of one whole, Sosuke."_

Sosuke's eye twitched behind his spectacles. So much for a straight answer. "Who are you?" He asked bluntly. "No lies or deceit. Tell me your name."

Her eyes glinted icily. _"How amusing you should say that, seeing as my very being is based on lies and deceit." _

Sosuke almost sighed in exasperation. Were all women as chatty as this one?

"_Surely you know that a zanpakuto's power is a reflection of its partner's soul? Some are melee types; some are kido types, while some derive their power from the elements…" _She stopped and gazed at him out of the corner of her eye.

"_Listen to me very carefully, Sosuke, and I'll tell you my name. I am Kyouka Suigetsu." _

It was strange, he had been exasperated mere moments before, but the sound of the name gave Sosuke a pang of excitement, and of foreboding.

"Kyouka… Suigetsu." He repeated, the words sounded elegant on his tongue.

"_Yes."_ She breathed. _"My power, and thus your power, is Absolute Hypnosis."_

"Hypnosis…" Sosuke echoed. "How does one use hypnosis in a battle?"

"_Control."_ Kyouka Suigetsu said. _"Absolute control of the enemy's five senses. That's my power. I can make the enemy misidentify people and objects. I can make a garden appear to be a swamp, or a fly appear to be a dragon. Like I said,"_ She took a step forward, her face mere inches from Sosuke's. _"Lies and deceit."_

Something clicked in Sosuke's mind. "So that's how you-"

"_Took your blade?"_ She finished for him. _"Precisely."_

She turned her back to him, and began twirling the blade again. _"One look. That's all it takes for the enemy to fall under my spell. Once the enemy had seen my release, they are subject to having their senses manipulated as much as I please." _

"So that's the secret?" Sosuke asked. "They just have to see the release, as I can make them see or hear anything I want them to?"

"_Exactly."_

A silence fell, leaving Sosuke to ponder her words. Just one look… just a glance and he could make anyone believe whatever he wanted. "This power may be very useful." He thought, gazing at the nonexistent moon reflected in the water.

"_I have but one thing left to say to you, Sosuke."_ Kyouka Suigetsu said softly. _"It would be in your best interest to keep this… latest development to yourself, for the time being."_

Sosuke frowned. "Why is that?"

She didn't answer. After a moment of gazing at the watery ground, she said, _"It shouldn't be terribly difficult, considering you new abilities."_

She held out the sword backwards, her hand around the blade and offering the hilt to Sosuke.

"_Take it,"_ She commanded, _"So I may share my strength with you."_

It was a brilliant sense of déjà vu, the same odd sensation of being sucked into a whirlpool enveloped Sosuke the moment he grasped the hilt. And just as before, it lasted only the briefest of moments before he found himself in a completely different world.

"Sosuke-kun?"

Sosuke stirred feebly. We felt oddly woozy, as if he had just woken from a very deep sleep. He opened his eyes but immediately closed them again, as a bright light stung them.

"Sosuke-kun?"

There it was again. Shut up, Sosuke silently willed the voice, as he was still waiting for his eyes to adjust to the brightness.

"SOSUKE!"

Something large and blunt, and clearly thrown with great force, collided with Sosuke's right cheek. The throbbing pain jolting him from his daze, he sat bolt upright, clutching his face.

"_Ow, ow , ow!"_ He hissed through clenched teeth, staring though his fingers for his attacker.

Isshin was hovering over Sosuke, who was lying on his bed- in his dorm room. Isshin's fist was raised and he was watching Sosuke almost apprehensively. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together; Isshin had clearly just punched him.

"What the hell was that for?" Sosuke hissed, his cheek still cupped in his hand. He could feel it beginning to bruise.

"You were talking in your sleep, mate." Isshin replied, lowering his fist.

"Talking in my sleep?" Sosuke echoed, mystified.

"Yeah, and grimacing like a pained gargoyle."

Sosuke glared at Isshin. For the first time, he noticed that Isshin, along with everything else in the room, was slightly burry. He put a hand to his face. His glasses were gone. Glad for an excuse to stop talking to Isshin, he slipped off the bed and began searching for them. He pulled open the nearest drawer and began rummaging around in it.

"What a shame." Isshin said, looking hurt. "I went to all that trouble to save him and little Ai-chan is ignoring me!"

Sosuke felt an overwhelming urge to give Isshin the biggest knuckle sandwich of his life. This man… Did he really just hear the words_ 'Ai-chan'_ escape his lips? 'Sosuke-kun' was far, far preferable.

Sosuke remembered what Kyouka Suigetsu had told him. _"It would be in your best interest to keep your powers to yourself- for the time being." _Seeing Isshin across the room, laughing like the idiot he was only solidified his trust in his zanpakuto. There was no way in hell Sosuke was about to share knowledge of his shikai with anyone, let alone Isshin.

However, this power could turn out to be of great use. Very useful, especially if Sosuke ever wished to meet the Shinigami King. It was strange, what with all the events of the past week, the Shinigami King had been shoved to the back of his mind. But this newest development only solidified Sosuke's resolve. He felt certain; someday, somehow, he _would_ get to meet the Shinigami King. There was no doubt.

* * *

**Please leave me some of your BEAUTIFUL reviews! They make me write faster!**

**~Frenchie**


End file.
